Yatagarasu Indiegogo sees New Fightstick in Final Week on August 5, 2013 by O'C

Described by developers as a “brand new version of Yatagarasu”, Attack on Cataclysm is a successor to the original 2011 release. Developed by three ex-SNK employees, Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm will be localised into English and released worldwide should the campaign – which is near completion – turn out to be a success.

We’ve reported on Yatagarasu’s Indiegogo campaign before, but efforts are ramping up now as the project nears its funding deadline. With seven days left on the clock, developers Hotapen are looking to the community to source another $12,000 so that they can finish production of the project. As with many crowd-funded projects, multiple bonuses are available to backers. Perks on offer include beta access, art books, and, for those offering over $1,000 dollars, the opportunity to have an original character featured in a stage background. Developers have also organised a series of Twitch.tv streams, and MadCatz have put together a limited edition Fightstick to celebrate the game’s release.

Shoryuken reports that a number of character designs are on offer, and backers are encouraged to choose their favourite to be included in the finished product, in a manner similar to Skullgirls. Skullgirls sought community funding after the circumstances surrounding development changed following the game’s release; the campaign was incredibly successful, raising nearly one million dollars.

As funding models change across the industry, crowd funding (or ‘kickstarting’) is becoming increasingly popular with smaller developers looking for alternatives to big budget publishing. The trend was popularised by eccentric developer Double Fine, whose Double Fine Adventure kickstarter campaign achieved nearly ten times as much funding as they had initially requested. In many cases, projects that have been crowd funded are acquired by larger publishers, as they are a good indicator of community interest, as in the case of Divekick.

Yatagarasu Attack on Cataclysm is shaping up to be a great game, and considering the pedigree held by the developers, that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Watch this space!